Elena's POV
Julian leaned back, running a hand over his face. "This is not what I wanted to bring into our space."
I stared at him. "Then don't."
He looked at me again—really looked. "You don't trust her."
"I don't know her. And frankly, I don't understand why she's calling you at night or walking through our front door like she belongs here."
Julian was quiet for a moment, then he nodded.
"I'll reassign her."
That surprised me. "You will?"
"Yes," he said without hesitation. "If she's making you uncomfortable—even a little—that's reason enough."
The tightness in my chest loosened slightly, but not all the way. Because sometimes the problem wasn't the obvious threat. It was the silence beneath it. The uncertainty.
And I couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't the last time I'd hear from Sophia.
It happened two days later.
Julian had just stepped into the shower, and I was finishing my coffee in the kitchen when his phone buzzed on the counter.
Again.
